Uniting Two Kingdoms
by anime manga fan 001
Summary: "Trust me; you'll fall in love," was what King Shizuki promised his little sister, Princess Mizuki, before they left to the Kingdom of Osaka. Mizuki didn't believe him, but it turned out that he was right; she did fall in love. Except, the one she fell in
1. For Brother

This is my first ever HanaKimi fic. I accept criticisms. I hope you like it.

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**For Brother**

"Princess! Princess Mizuki! There you are!"

Mizuki turned around to see her lady-in-waiting hurrying towards her.

"What's wrong, Mary?"

Mary, looking frustrated, replied, "I've been looking all over for you, Princess. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere but here," Mizuki replied, stretching out her arms to indicate the garden in which they stood.

"You are too carefree, Princess. Anyway, your elder brother, His Highness, has returned and he has excellent news. He-"

"Brother is back at last? Is he safe? May I go see him? What is the news about?"

"Don't rush. He is perfectly fine. Your brother will tell you the news himself. Go to him. He is waiting for you in his room. Oh, how exciting. We're going to be very busy," Mary replied with glee.

"Yes, we will be."

Mizuki and Mary looked up and found Mizuki's older stepbrother and only family, King Shizuki Claude Ashiya of the Kingdom of Sakura, smiling down at them.

"Dear brother!" Mizuki exclaimed and threw herself onto him. "I am so glad you are back. I missed you."

"So did I, Mizuki. Every single day I _yearned_ to see your cute little face."

Shizuki turned to the guards and Mary and said, "Leave us. I wish to talk to my sister alone."

The guards and Mary bowed and left.

"Brother, how was your journey? Were you able to make peace with the Kingdom of Osaka? Did they hurt or insult you in any way?"

The noble Kingdoms of Sakura and Osaka had been enemies long since before Mizuki had even been born. She didn't know why they fought but she didn't like it. Shizuki didn't like it either. As soon as he had become King – about three months ago – he had set out to Osaka in an effort to make peace with them.

"So many things happened. At first, the King didn't believe that my intentions were not of the evil kind. Nevertheless, I was able to convince him that I wasn't there to fight. They let me into the castle and we decided to unite both Kingdoms through marriage."

"Marriage?" Mizuki blinked. Then, understanding what he meant, she hugged him tighter. "Mary was right. It _is_ exciting! Congratulations, brother! I'm so happy for you. I can't wait to meet my future sister-in-law!"

Shizuki laughed. "Oh, Mizuki, you're not getting a sister-in-law - at least not yet. I'm getting a brother-in-law. You're getting married."

Mizuki pulled herself from Shizuki's arms.

"What? Brother! How could you decide something like that without even asking my consent? This is _my_ life!"

"But, Mizuki, I thought you would agree with me that this was for the best. You-"

"How can I agree with you, brother? You want me to marry a man I have never even met in my whole life. Besides, I'm only sixteen! I don't want to get married so young."

"Please, listen to me, Mizuki. I don't want you to leave me so soon, either. But think about it. You are going to bring peace to both lands. So many people have died in the battle between our kingdoms. You can put an end to it all."

"Brother, I do love our kingdom but sacrificing my future for it is-"

"Do you really think I would let my precious sister fall into the hands of someone I thought unworthy of her? I would never do such a thing. Why do you think I stayed there for so long? I was researching on him. Of course, the King didn't know what I was doing. I've learned that the Prince is a very honest, kind, caring, gentle, smart, brave young man of nineteen who suits you perfectly."

"Just 'cuz he has so many good qualities doesn't mean that I would agree to marry him. I want to marry someone I love."

Shizuki grinned.

"I thought you'd say that. Your dear big brother has considered everything. We're leaving to Osaka as soon as possible."

"What are you-?"

"The King wants to meet you. We'll stay there for as long as necessary. You can meet the Prince and see what an amazing person he really is. What do you think of that?"

"Stupid," she answered without hesitation.

"Come on, Mizuki. Just give him a chance. Do it for your brother who wants to see you happy. You don't have to marry him if you really really hate him."

"Meaning that you'll force me to marry him even if I like him a teensy weensy bit."

"Please…"

Mizuki sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll come, for brother. But that does not mean I'm agreeing to marry him. It just means that I'll see what he does to my heart. If I _do _fall in love – although I don't think that that is possible – I'll marry him. If I don't fall in love, and you try to make me marry him anyway, I'll hate you for the rest of my life and never speak to you again."

Shizuki looked hurt, "Isn't that a little too harsh?"

"Be glad that I agreed to come," Mizuki grumbled.

Shizuki smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me; you'll fall in love."

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So how was it?


	2. The Kingdom of Osaka

When I posted the first chapter I was in kind of a hurry, so I couln't say much. Sorry about that. Also sorry that it took so long to update. My usage of the net has been so unstable. I'll try to update sooner next time.

**beeks **: Thanks. I know. That's why I updated ; ).

**AKTAIY **: Thank you. I hope you continue liking it.

**SerenityAlways **: Thanks for reviewing and I am not offended. I can understand why so don't worry.

**sprees4life **: Thanks. And here's more!

Thanks again everyone for reviewing and for telling me what you think. It's really nice of you and I love them. I won't delay any further and I hope you enjoy the fic!  
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**The Kingdom of Osaka**

Mizuki leaned on Shizuki's shoulder and yawned. They were on their way to Osaka. They had been travelling for three hours already.

"Are you tired, Mizuki?"

"Just sleepy. How long left?"

"About an hour more."

"Jeez. Why did we have to pick a fight with such a distant Kingdom, anyway?"

Shizuki chuckled.

Mizuki closed her eyes.

"_Let's see how you really are, Prince of Osaka, Hey, wait, brother didn't even tell me his name. Great. I'm getting married to a guy whose name I don't even know. Must ask brother later. Not now. Too sleepy…" _

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Mizuki stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror in her new room. Her waist-length chocolate-brown hair was held back at the sides with two pink ribbons. She wore a light pink dress, which was not too simple nor too elegant. She nodded to herself.

"Okay. I'm done."

She was going to have tea with King Sano and his wife. She wanted to make a good first impression. It didn't matter even if they didn't become her in-laws. Brother had worked so hard to make peace with them. She wasn't going to do anything to disgrace her Kingdom.

_Knock. Knock._

"Mizuki, are you done?"

Mizuki walked to her door and opened it. Shizuki stood there with two guards on either side.

"Yeah."

"Good. Let's go."

Shizuki held out his hand, which Mizuki accepted.

"Are you nervous?"

"No. Should I be?"

Shizuki shook his head.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Tell me, Princess Mizuki, how do you like our Kingdom?" asked Queen Kyoko.

Mizuki smiled.

"Although I haven't seen much of it, I really like what I've seen so far. I look forward to seeing more of its beauties."

Mizuki thanked Mary over and over in her heart. If it weren't for her, Mizuki would have been stammering right now.

They were having tea in the beautiful Palace gardens. The garden was filled with so many flowers and trees. In the middle was a fountain. They were sitting at a little round table next to the fountain. The table was laden with so many cakes and sandwiches that Mizuki was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation she was having with the Queen.

The Queen was a very kind and gentle person. Her smile warmed Mizuki's heart and made her feel comfortable. She reminded Mizuki of her late mother. She was also very beautiful with dark brown hair and light brown eyes.

"Why don't you ask Gilbert later to give you a tour? I'm sure he would be delighted to do so."

Gilbert, Mizuki had learned from her brother on the way to the garden, was her fiancé. He was King Sano's eldest son. Gilbert's mother, Queen Clare, had died when Gilbert was very young. A year later, King Sano had married Queen Kyoko. They had two sons - Sano and Shin.

Mizuki didn't know what to say to this, so she just smiled.

"I wonder what is taking King Sano and King Shizuki so long. They should be back by now," the Queen said.

The two Kings had gone off for a walk a few minutes after Mizuki had arrived at the garden.

"Oh, look, they're back," the Queen said as she stood up.

Mizuki stood up as well.

"Forgive us," Shizuki said with a smile, "But King Sano and myself got caught up in a serious discussion about golf."

"So, what did the two of you talk about?" King Sano asked the Queen and Mizuki.

King Sano looked scary but having talked to him for a few minutes had taught Mizuki never to judge a book by its cover, because despite his stern face, he was a very nice man.

"Nothing much, dear. Just this and that."

"Princess Mizuki, you must be tired after your long journey," King Sano smiled. "I suggest you return to your room and have a good rest."

Shizuki walked over to Mizuki and took her hand. "I'll take her to her room. Please, excuse us."

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"So, brother, are you gong to tell me what you and King Sano really talked about or not?" Mizuki asked Shizuki as they were walking through the Palace.

Shizuki's guards had joined them when they had left the garden.

Shizuki looked down at Mizuki with an inquiring look.

"What do you mean?"

Mizuki sighed. "Brother, you don't play golf, remember?"

Shizuki looked sheepish.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I couldn't think of anything else to say."

"So, what did you talk about?"

"Fine, I give up. This whole thing was planned. The tea, King Sano and I going off for a walk leaving Queen Kyoko and you alone, us returning after a long time."

"Planned?" Mizuki frowned. "Why?"

"Queen Kyoko and King Sano wanted to know what kind of person you were. So, we set this up."

Mizuki gaped.

"Now, look here, Mizuki, there's no reason to be mad. We-"

"No reason to be mad? I have every reason to be mad!" she hissed. If they had been back at the Sakura Kingdom, she would have shouted her head off. Doing so here would just land her in a lot of trouble.

"You could have told me something about all this. I feel so _used_."

"What would you have done if I _had_ told you?"

"I would have tried to be more interesting, I guess."

"Queen Kyoko asked me not to tell you because she wanted to see the _real_ you. Not some pretend princess. Besides, my sister doesn't have to _try_ to be interesting. She naturally is." Shizuki grinned.

Mizuki smiled.

"Thank you, brother."

"So, do you want to go back to your room?" Shizuki inquired.

"Do you have something you have to do, brother?" Mizuki asked.

"I do. I need to talk to King Sano. There's so much that needs to done. Do you want me to take you to your room?"

Mizuki shook her head.

"I'm not tired. You go on. I'll just look around the Palace."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"Sure, sure. I'll be fine. See you later, brother," she said and walked away.

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Did you like it? How was it? Tell me what you think and if you didn't like it, please tell me what I can do to improve. I'll try my best.


	3. Prince Gilbert?

I decided to post the next chapter too because I was so touched by the reviews I got for Chapter one. I thank all _again_ and hope you like this chapter. On with the story!

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**Prince Gilbert?**

Mizuki sighed

"I should've just returned to my room."

She had been walking around the Palace but had not found anything exciting. All she had managed to do was get herself lost.

"_What do I do? Should I look for brother? But I don't want to disturb him and King Sano. Would it be okay for me to go to Queen Kyoko? But that would just be embarrassing_._ Hey, there _is_ someone else I know in this place other than King Sano and Queen Kyoko. But…"_

Just then, someone rushed past Mizuki.

"Hey, wait!" Mizuki called out.

The person stopped and turned around. It was a beautiful girl who looked not much older than herself. She had long light brown hair and matching light brown eyes. She was wearing a beautiful dress.

"She's pretty," Mizuki thought to herself, "I didn't know King Sano had a daughter."

"Uh… hello. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you or anything, but I'm lost. Could you tell me how to get to Prince Gilbert's room?" Mizuki asked.

"Oh, hi. I'm not sure I can help you. I got here just a few days ago. I think…." The girl frowned. "Oh, that's right," the girl clapped her hands together, "You have to go straight, then turn left, go straight again and you'll find a staircase. Go up, turn right, go straight and you'll find a huge door to your left. Go through the door and you'll be in Prince Gilbert's room," the girl finished.

Mizuki looked confused. "Er… thanks."

The girl smiled brightly at Mizuki.

"You're welcome."

Then she gasped.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I hope I can see you again soon," the girl called back to Mizuki as she ran away.

"I hope I didn't delay her too much," Mizuki thought, "I wonder where she was going in such a hurry."

"Okay," Mizuki told herself firmly, "I have something to do, too. I _will _find his room."

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About twenty minutes later, Mizuki stood outside a large wooden door. The door was magnificently carved and decorated with gold. Mizuki just stood there and stared at the door. Then shaking her head furiously to snap herself out of her reverie, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

But no reply came.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

Mizuki began to think that Prince Gilbert had gone out. She pushed the door, and to her surprise, it just swung back.

Suddenly, she felt nervous. Was it all right for her to just walk into someone's room without permission? Even if it was her fiancé's room, was it okay for her to do this?

"But I can't stop now. I need help. I'll just check if he's in. If he's not, I'll leave," Mizuki decided and stepped into the room. The door swung closed.

It was a humungous room. It was even bigger than her room back at the Sakura Kingdom. There were tall windows on one side of the room with navy-coloured curtains. There was a bookshelf on the other side filled with thick books. Next to it was table and a chair. In the centre of the room was a small table. There was a sofa next to it. In another corner of the room was a huge bed. It too had navy-coloured sheets.

Only after she had taken another step into the room did she notice that there was someone on the bed. She almost screamed out in surprise.

"I didn't think of the possibility that Prince Gilbert could be asleep," she thought.

Mizuki just stood there, wondering what to do.

"This is not right. I should leave before Prince Gilbert wakes up and finds me in his room."

Mizuki turned around to go, but stopped halfway and looked at the person on the bed.

"I wonder what Prince Gilbert looks like. It wouldn't hurt to just take a little peek, would it?" Mizuki asked herself.

She turned back to the bed and took a deep breath. Then she tiptoed to it and stood beside the bed.

With her heart beating fast, she leaned over Prince Gilbert. Some of her hair fell on his face but she ignored them and stared at his face. He had a good face; a really good face. He had dark hair that looked really thick and made her want to run her fingers through them. It took her a lot of willpower to stop herself from reaching out and brushing his hair out of his face. In fact, she would have done just that if the moment she had raised her hand he hadn't moved. But that's what he did. His eyes opened to reveal the darkest eyes she had ever seen. They were beautiful and she felt herself drowning in them.

She saw his mouth open and in the deepest voice she had ever heard, he asked, "Who are you?"

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Well, they finally met. What do you think? Like it?


	4. First Impressions

**A/N:** Hey everyone! As hard as it is to believe: I UPDATED! I am ever so sorry for leaving everyone hanging like that! Please check my profile if you want to know what happened. Basically, it's 'cause I was busy. I was looking through my stories when I realized that I hadn't posted this chapter up although I was done with it a really long time ago. Maybe it was because I wanted to do one final edit. Anyway, I'm glad I never posted it. There _were _somethings I wanted to change. And when I did, I realized that my writing style had somewhat changed. Don't worry as I think that it actually has improved! Hehehe! That kinda makes me happy about my break.

**The Sullen Empress **: You'll just have to wait and see! Thank you!

**jessica **: Thanks a lot! I'll write as often as I can!

**Elle-Mai October **: Thank you! I never meant to make you'll wait for so long with a cliffhanger. It just happened. Sorry for the wait!

**staggered incite **: That's really sweet! Thank you and you're welcome! Lol!

**kingka **: You'll have to wait to find out, too. It's really touching that I inspired you. I'm glad I did, and of course I don't mind! Your idea sounds good. Good luck with it! And thanks!

**lilac09 **: You don't have to wait long for the answer to that question. It's in this chapter!

I've made you all wait long enough, so here you go! Hope you like it!

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**First Impressions**

_Knock, knock._

Sano opened his eyes and glanced at his bedroom door. Then another glance at the giant navy-blue clock at the far end of his room told him that it was 6pm. Who could want him at such a late hour? He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

He heard another knock but didn't bother to go and open the door. His brothers, Gilbert and Shin, didn't usually knock before entering his room. They just barged in with no care in the world for privacy. It couldn't be his parents either, as the last he heard, they had had their hands full with the royalty of the Sakura Kingdom. So, who in the world could it be?

He heard the door swing open and knew for sure that it was one of his brothers. But why the hesitation?

Despite knowing who was in the room, he didn't open his eyes. He pretended to be asleep hoping they would just go away. He knew that it was pointless from past experience, but somehow he never seemed to learn.

He heard the light footsteps halt and mentally frowned.

_Light footsteps?_

That didn't sound right. That and the caution.

Maybe it wasn't one of his brothers.

After a few minutes, he felt something long and silky fall on his face. It smelt sweet and it took him a moment to realize what it was; hair. The next realization that there was a girl in his room and that that girl was leaning over him came as quite a shock. It was either a girl or a guy with long hair. The second possibility was frightening and he decided to give up the sleeping guy act and opened his eyes.

His eyes met big brown ones that went wide with shock. She had long brown hair with two ribbons in it. Her face was just a few inches away from his.

He had never seen this girl before, although she did look somewhat familiar, and it wasn't everyday that he woke up with a cute girl leaning over him. And that was when he said the first thing that came to his head: "Who are you?"

* * *

Mizuki gasped and fell back on her butt. She immediately stood up and she felt her face burn with embarrassment.

"I… I am…" she trailed off as she saw Prince Gilbert sit up.

"Well, who are you?" he repeated, but this time a little more firmly.

"He's kinda rude," she thought to herself. "No way am I marrying such a rude person."

Mizuki took a deep breath and tried again, "I am –"

At that moment, the door to Prince Gilbert's room burst open. Both of them looked to see who had made such a rude entrance.

A tall handsome blonde guy stood there, smiling.

"Are you Princess Mizuki of the Noble Kingdom of Sakura?" the person asked, walking into the room.

"Yes, I am," Mizuki replied.

The person walked up to Mizuki and knelt down on one knee. Then, taking her hand in his, he kissed it.

"I am Prince Gilbert. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said and stood up.

Mizuki gasped and looked down at the other person in the room whom she had assumed was her fiancé. He stood up.

Prince Gilbert laughed.

"This is my younger brother, Prince Izumi," he said, "I overheard Princess Rio telling her sister that she met a girl on her way to meet her and that she had given the girl directions to 'Prince Gilbert's room'. Princess Rio often confuses Izumi with me. That's how I knew you'd be here. Please forgive Princess Rio on my behalf."

"Ah! Of course. It was an accident, so I don't mind."

"He's not that bad of a person. Plus, he looks good," Mizuki observed.

Prince Gilbert looked at Prince Izumi.

"You weren't impolite to her, were you, Sano?"

"Depends," he replied.

Inside, Mizuki was fuming.

"_What a jerk! I'm glad _he's_ not Prince Gilbert!"_

"Is she your fiancée?" Prince Izumi asked, looking at Mizuki.

"Uh-huh," Prince Gilbert wrapped an arm around Mizuki's shoulder. "Cute, isn't she?"

Mizuki blushed and tried not to think about the warm hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever," Izumi replied.

He turned around and walked to the door. Then, he stopped.

"Hey, don't do anything in _my_ room," he said without looking back and walked out the open door.

"He is such jerk! Jerk! How can Prince Gilbert and that jerk possibly be related?" Mizuki asked herself.

She heard Prince Gilbert laugh.

"Don't worry about him. He's not such a bad guy. Anyway," he turned to Mizuki, "We aren't gonna do anything that fast, are we?"

Mizuki felt her face heat up even more. She vigorously shook her head.

"I… I want to go back to my room. I got lost and…"

Prince Gilbert's hand slid down to hers. He tugged on it.

"Come on; I'll take you to your room. You'd better rest before dinner, Princess Mizuki."

"Please, call me Mizuki," she heard herself saying.

"Of course, if you agree to call me Gilbert," he replied.

She smiled. _"Hey, maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea, after all."_

_

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_Well, what did you think? Was it too short? Let me know. Hopefully the next update will be soon!


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